DAPAT PA BANG MANATILI NI JEMA GALANZA SA TEAM ALAS?!!

Ating pag-uusapan sa videong ito ang mga sinasabi ng mga tao na kaya daw ayaw umalis ni Jema Galanza sa alas ay dahil sa malaking offer. Ating bigyan ng opinyon at reaksyon kung sa tingin natin ay totoo ang mga sinasabi ng netizen. Matatandaan na ilang beses ng nanawagan ang mga supporter ni Jema na umalis nalang sa national team matapos mabangko!

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Full video:

Why is Jema listed as libero for FIVB Challenger Cup? de Brito explains

FRESH off her eighth Premier Volleyball League (PVL) title with Creamline, Jema Galanza bolstered Alas Pilipinas’ core of young guns and veterans ahead of the 2024 FIVB Women’s Volleyball Challenger Cup on July 4 to 7 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

But eagle-eyed fans were quick to notice one bizarre detail in the squad list that appeared on the tournament website: Galanza was listed as a libero instead of her natural outside hitter role.

Should Chery Tiggo duo Eya Laure and Jen Nierva both miss the Challenger Cup, Alas will be left with three outside hitters excluding Galanza in newcomer Bella Belen, Sisi Rondina and Vanie Gandler.

But crucially, Nierva’s possible absence could leave the nationals with just one natural libero in Dawn Macandili-Catindig.

Will Jema REALLY play libero?

Alas considering Galanza to take on libero duties isn’t a random choice by any means.

In fact, over in the men’s team, another MVP-caliber ace spiker in Josh Ybañez played as a libero during Alas’ AVC Challenge Cup stint in Bahrain last June.

Galanza finished the preliminaries of the recently-concluded 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference in the Top 10 of the digging department (2.55 excellent digs per set) — one of just two spikers in the list apart from reigning league MVP Brooke Van Sickle who ranked seventh.

The five-time PVL best outside hitter and former MVP also had the second-highest number of both excellent and attempted receptions for a non-libero with 84 of 183 total receptions (41.53% efficiency) behind Akari’s Grethcel Soltones (97 of 201; 44.28% efficiency).

Alas head coach Jorge Souza de Brito, however, gave two concrete reasons why Galanza’s name was thrown in the mix for the second libero role: Nierva’s expected absence and a minor foot injury.